Spurs (23-31) vs. Utah Jazz (36-19)
When, where: Friday, 8 p.m., Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City
All-time series record: Spurs lead 106-83
Last season: Jazz won 2-1
Season series: Spurs lead 1-0
Last meeting: Spurs 127, Jazz 120, Jan. 29, AT&T Center
Spurs' last game: Beat Thunder 114-106, Feb. 11, Oklahoma City
Jazz's last game: Beat Miami Heat 116-101, Feb. 12, Salt Lake City
Spurs' last 10 games/streak: 3-7, won one
Jazz's last 10 games/streak: 5-5, won four
Spurs' injury/inactive report: Forward/center Drew Eubanks (G League), out; forward/guard Keldon Johnson (G League), out; forward Chimezie Metu (G League), out; forward Luka Samanic (G League), out; Quindarry Weatherspoon (G League), out.
Jazz's injury/inactive report: Guard Mike Conley (rest), out; guard Nigel Williams-Goss (left quad; contusion), out; guard Justin Wright-Foreman (G League), out.
Notable: San Antonio is 10th in the Western Conference standings, 4.5 games behind No. 8 Memphis (28-27). The top eight teams in each conference advance to the playoffs. Portland (25-31) is No. 9 in the West and leads San Antonio by one game. Utah is No. 4, trailing the No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers by half a game . . . The Spurs are 1-5 on their Rodeo Road Trip. They end the stretch of eight consecutive road games Sunday in Oklahoma City . . . San Antonio's next home game is Wednesday against Interstate 35 rival Dallas.
GAME PREVIEW
It will be a daunting task for a team eight games under .500 with only a third of the regular season left.
But can the Spurs, who have been dogged by inconsistency throughout the 2019-20 campaign, do it again?
Can they finally find their groove coming out of the All-Star break and make a run at the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference?
The Silver and Black ripped off nine consecutive victories after their annual Rodeo Road Trip last year and won just enough games to make the playoffs, tying the NBA record for consecutive postseason appearances with 22.
But the Spurs, who resume their rodeo trip Friday night against the Utah Jazz, have a bigger hole to climb out of this season. Although last year's team went 1-7 on the rodeo trip, it returned home with a 33-29 record.
San Antonio (23-31) is 1-5 on the RRT and ends the trek Sunday in Oklahoma City. So even if the Silver and Black beat Utah and OKC, they'll still be six games under .500 when they fly back to San Antonio.
The Spurs, who have 28 games left on their schedule, trail Memphis by 4.5 games for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Undaunted, the Silver and Black remain confident they can extend their franchise's cherished playoff streak.
"Definitely important, definitely important," said veteran forward DeMar DeRozan, who leads the Spurs in scoring (23.0 points per game) and assists (5.2). "It ain't over till it's over.
"The beauty of it, being able to compete in this stretch, is going out there and making that attempt to make it, to kind of switch the narrative and kind of fight back and be that underdog type of story. As a competitor, you definitely want to be a part of that, and we still have the opportunity.”
The Spurs are 1-0 against Utah this season, beating the Jazz 127-120 on Jan. 29 at the AT&T Center. DeRozan hit 11 of 19 field-goal attempts and scored a season-high 38 points in 37 minutes to lead the way.
Guard Patty Hills finished with 18 points off the bench, nailing 5 of 11 shots, including 3 of 9 from three-point distance. Point guard Dejounte Murray also had a solid game, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
The Spurs shot a scorching 56.1 percent overall (46-82) but were only 8 of 31 (25.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
Utah was 44 percent (37-84) from the field and knocked down 14 of 38 three-pointers for 36.8 percent.
Wagner High School graduate Jordan Clark scored 20 points for the Jazz, making 7 of 14 shots, including 3 of 7 from three-point distance.
The Spurs' next home game is Wednesday against Interstate 25 rival Dallas.
